Welcome to week three of the Summer Meditation Challenge.
So as we move into the new year,
We're really cultivating a sense of being on our own side in relation to the kind of deeper desires of our being.
This longing we have for freedom,
For release from suffering,
And also just for more spaciousness,
More joy,
More engagement with life in a way that helps us feel awake,
Present.
So the practice we're cultivating today helps us to tap into a sense of satisfaction,
Contentment.
And this means that when we're motivating ourselves towards things that are important to us,
It's not coming from a place of deficit,
Or of grasping or clinging,
But rather from a place of feeling already full,
Already enough in ourselves.
So this is like the icing on the cake rather than the cake.
And I'd really like to acknowledge the work of Rick Hansen,
And some of this is inspired by his work in hardwiring happiness and the positive neuroplasticity training.
So when you're ready,
Adopting your posture,
Dignified,
Upright posture.
Taking time to make any movements,
Stretch,
Adjust in any way that you need,
So that you can be comfortable and settled.
Really attending to the needs of the body as best you can.
Tuning into the contact of the body with the surfaces beneath you,
Really feeling into that,
Perhaps having a sense of the earth rising up to meet you.
And then becoming aware of all of the supports here,
Now.
Things like the floor beneath you holding you here,
The earth beneath that,
Gravity helping us to stay grounded,
The air that we're breathing,
And all the other creature comforts,
Anything here that helps you feel supported,
Connected,
That helps you to live and function.
Seeing if you can lean into these supports and really open to them,
Allowing yourself to be held in them.
Thich Nhat Hanh says that even the air we breathe can be a source of joy.
Then inviting you to bring to mind other conditions,
Other resources available to you in your life,
And there might be some here right now in the space that you're in.
Capacities,
They can be things like the structure that you're in,
The building.
They can also be things like your own capacity to see,
Beauty to hear,
Birds singing,
The sound of the wind,
Your own capacity to move,
To navigate your way through the world.
And in this practice we're not looking for perfection that doesn't exist,
We're just recognizing that there are these moments,
These little experiences we have that we can draw on,
And that actually add up to quite a lot.
And you might like to now reflect on more broadly things in your life that are okay.
So again we're not looking for the big dramatic wins,
But often the ordinary daily things that we take for granted.
The fact that we have managed to find our way through a whole year,
And attend to many things.
And it's natural when we start tuning into accomplishments or things we've achieved that the opposite will come up,
And we're going to practice not tuning into those things.
So if the opposite comes up,
Just acknowledge it and let it go straight away,
Gently bringing your attention back to basically brainstorming internally.
Little accomplishments,
Little moments of achievement,
Satisfaction,
Getting stuff done.
Even the fact that you're here now,
That you managed to,
For example,
Get out of bed,
Brush your teeth,
Cook a meal,
Attend to jobs that need to be done.
And there might be some big achievements you want to reflect on,
But there might also just be the achievements of enduring something,
Something difficult,
Of getting through.
So really just taking a moment to appreciate yourself for all of these things.
Inviting you to reflect on aspects of life that meet needs.
So as you tune in here,
You might bring to mind,
For example,
That you have access to clean drinking water,
And to hot water for a beautiful shower.
It's not about these things being perfect or always working,
But that they're generally fairly reliable,
A roof over your head.
And people to call on,
Resources available,
Skills,
Knowledge,
Experience,
That you can draw on when needed.
Things like language skills,
Ability to read and write.
Actually very complex,
Significant achievements that we tend to take for granted.
And when you're ready,
Bring into mind experiences,
Just very ordinary daily experiences of needs being met.
So this could be,
For example,
Just noticing that as you breathe in,
You have enough breath.
You might even like to experiment with breathing in so deeply,
For so long,
That you feel like you couldn't possibly take in any more breath.
And just notice this feeling of fullness,
Of this need being fully met,
Of satisfaction,
Having enough.
You can apply this to other things,
You can drink as much water as you like,
And feel that feeling of your thirst being quenched,
Fully quenched.
This need being met,
Not needing anything more.
You can also bring to mind things like having enough food in the cupboard,
Or clothes in the cupboard to wear.
This need being met.
And you might also like to bring to mind little experiences of joy,
Delight,
Wonder.
Like when you walk out the door and see a parrot,
Or a beautiful sunrise,
Or you hear the sound of rain,
Or a warm smile from someone.
These moments of delight,
Joy,
Surprise,
That bring a smile to your face.
And out of all these areas we've explored,
Whatever really resonates most strongly for you now,
I'm inviting you to tune into that,
That one aspect,
Or collection of aspects,
And see if you can open to it,
Open to this feeling of having enough,
Of fullness,
Satisfaction,
Contentment,
Letting it fill you up.
We're so good at tuning into what we don't have,
Or any perceived deficits,
That we overlook the bounty that we have available to us.
Both internally and externally.
So now I'm inviting you just to balance that up,
To practice seeing what's good,
What's right,
What you do have,
What you have enough of,
And letting yourself start to get to know this feeling of fullness,
Of satisfaction,
Of enoughness.
From this place,
This feeling of enoughness,
When we're motivated towards something good for ourselves,
That motivation comes not from a sense of reactivity or drivenness,
But actually from a sense of love,
Kindness,
Friendship,
Of wanting to cultivate and grow what is good,
What's beneficial,
What's healthy,
What's life-giving.
So it's a fairly different feeling tone,
And you might just notice that.
So it's the opposite of a sense of craving,
Or dissatisfaction,
Frustration,
Disappointment.
It's more a sense of being drawn towards something full and good,
With a sense of curiosity and openness.
There's a lot more lightness and non-clinging to it.
And that allows us to be open,
But not attached to outcome.
We just want to go on the journey.
So I'm inviting you for the rest of the practice just to tap into this sense of satisfaction,
Enoughness,
Even if it feels quite simple or small,
It often is quite a kind of modest thing,
And just keep orienting to it,
Keep getting to know it,
Letting yourself feel it and take it in.
Remembering you can always come back to this simple breath,
Right now I have enough breath,
And feeling the fullness,
The satisfaction of each in-breath and each out-breath.
You might notice the qualities of this feeling of more fullness and satisfaction,
Ease and settledness it brings.
Sometimes if we're not accustomed to it,
We might have a fear that it'll lead to some kind of passivity or laziness even.
Actually the opposite is true.
When we feel fuller,
More complete,
We're actually more able to take risks,
To pursue what's important to us more wholeheartedly.
We have more capacity for giving and receiving.
So as we bring this meditation to a close,
Just letting yourself connect with anything beneficial,
Anything helpful,
Meaningful,
That you wish to carry with you into the rest of your day and week.
And noticing how that beneficial aspect of the practice feels in your body,
How do you know it?
Perhaps taking a moment to appreciate yourself,
A sense of gratitude,
For showing up for the practice.
Connecting with the breath again and again,
For as long as you'd like to.
